Coincidence

"There will be an opportunity. Pass down the order: rest as planned tonight, and depart at dawn tomorrow."

"Yes!"

The next day, Mu Family Army packed their valuables and fled.

Everything went as Mu Wu had predicted. Although the Silver Wolf King and the Vulture King chased after them, they did not bring any troops with them.

Liu Yongzhan asked worriedly, "General, should we slow down to avoid a surprise attack?"

"Ignore them. Just treat them like two flies. Do what you need to do. Don't worry, they won't dare to make a move."

As expected, the Sirius King and the Vulture King merely followed at a distance, not daring to launch a real attack, because if they rushed too far forward, they might be surrounded by the Mu Family Army.

Mu Wu alone could suppress the two, and with the cooperation of his subordinates, they would be able to keep them both at bay.

By evening, the Mu Family Army had returned to Qianjin City. The Heavenly Wolf King and the Vulture King had not found an opportunity to make a move and could only return dejectedly.

That evening, just when Mu Wu thought there would be no more accidents, Ji Da informed him. "General, two martial artists have arrived outside. They claim to be palace guards and say they have something important to tell you. They insist on speaking only with you and refuse to say a word."

Mu Wu thought for a moment and said, "Let the two of them in."

Two men, clearly disguised, entered the hall. Upon seeing Mu Wu and several other generals, they displayed cautious expressions and said, "Sir, our secret can only be told to you."

Mu Wu said, "Everyone here is my brother. I guarantee with my integrity that they will never leak any secrets."

However, the two men did not give in and insisted, "General, we trust your character, but we don't trust others. Besides, knowing some secrets might not be a good thing. If you truly care about your brothers, please let them go."

Before Mu Wu could respond, the generals said, "General, we'll take our leave now. Please be careful of assassins."

After saying that, they glared at the two men, but kept their promise and left the hall one by one. After all, with Mu Wu's strength, even if the two were both Spirit Transformation experts, it was impossible for him to kill them with one blow.

After confirming that no one else was present, the two men suddenly knelt on the ground and pleaded, "General, please, save the young master!" They then kowtowed repeatedly.

Mu Wu quickly moved aside, not wanting to take advantage of the two, and asked, "Who is your young master?"

The two men exchanged a glance, made up their minds, Secret Voice Transmission, "Young Master is the child of the Shenzong, that is, His Highness the Crown Prince."

Even with his strong willpower, Mu Wu was shaken upon hearing this news. "Impossible! His Highness the Crown Prince died many years ago. At that time, the Barbarian Hu Hao Capital and, upon hearing that Shenzong still had an heir, who happened to be born half a month ago, ordered the killing of all the infants in the city. To protect his newborn son, the Imperial Uncle Murong Zhe betrayed the information, resulting in the deaths of the Crown Prince and the Grand Sima who was protecting him. Everyone knows this. Why are you two deceiving me?"

The man on the left said, "General, how could we dare lie about such a thing? The Barbarian King at the time didn't kill the crown prince. Perhaps he thought he was a rare commodity, so he hid the crown prince, killed a random infant as a scapegoat, and then kept the news secret, raising him until now. Even the crown prince himself doesn't know his true identity."

Chapter 189 Coincidence

"... That's the situation. What do you all think?"

After listening to the two men's stories, Mu Wu immediately summoned his men to discuss the matter.

The bearded Ji Da shouted, "What's there to consider? Since the Crown Prince is still alive, let's go back immediately and rescue him!"

Liu Yongzhan sighed and said, "Old Ji, don't always think so narrowly. Have you considered that this might be a trap?"

"Screw him! Even if the Silver Wolf King and the Vulture King joined forces, they're no match for the Commander-in-Chief. So what if it's a trap? We can just fight our way in and out seven times."

"Things aren't as simple as you think. While force is important, it's not a panacea. Since it's a trap, it must have been meticulously planned to catch you off guard. For example, they might have someone disguise themselves as the Crown Prince and, when you rescue him, suddenly throw a hidden weapon at you—if it doesn't kill you, it will at least poison you. Or they might have planted a large amount of gunpowder near the target, which will explode as soon as you get close. What good is superior martial arts against such a trap? Besides, we're going to storm into Haojing City to rescue someone. If we get injured, it will hinder our operation, and we might get surrounded by the guards and never be able to get out."

Ji Da's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Old Liu, I never knew you were so ruthless!"

Liu Yongzhan rolled his eyes. "What does that have to do with me? I'm talking about the enemy's schemes and tricks."

The generals laughed upon hearing this, but after the laughter subsided, they began to debate whether they should go to rescue the people. Some agreed, while others disagreed, with slightly more people in favor, but the difference was not significant.

When everyone stopped arguing and turned their attention to Mu Wu turned to the person sitting to his right and asked, "Strategist, what do you think?"

The person being questioned is

The man, of average appearance, slightly hunched, and dressed very simply, Zhang Xingjiao. He was Mu Wu's advisor and personal strategist, highly trusted by Mu Wu. However, he was very low-key and always stayed behind the scenes. He had none of the fame and influence of the strategists and advisors in storytelling. Only the generals in the hall recognized him. Once outside the hall, even the veterans of the Mu Family Army did not know that their commander had a strategist.

His name comes from the Analects of Confucius, Yong Ye: "The Master said to Zhong Gong, 'The calf of a plow ox is red and has horns. Even if we do not want to use it, will the mountains and rivers refuse to use it?'" The phrase "a plow ox with red horns" refers to a mixed-colored ox giving birth to a pure red calf with well-formed horns, which also implies that the father is like a dog and the son is like a tiger.

Zhang Xingjiao said, "We have no way of knowing whether the news is true or false, so let's not worry about it. If we don't go to the rescue, the advantage is that we can return according to the original plan and avoid any unforeseen circumstances. The disadvantage is that if the news is true, we will miss the best opportunity to save the Crown Prince. At present, the Heavenly Lion King is not in the city, and the elite troops have all rushed to the front line. In addition, with the siege over the past few days, the people in the city must be in a state of panic. It is a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters."

If we go to rescue them, we must consider the possibility that it is a trap. In addition to the danger to the rescuers, we must also consider whether our army's operation will be delayed. Because right now, time is of the essence for our army. We must evacuate by sea before the vanguard of the Barbarian Hu coalition returns. After all, we are still on their territory. Once we are surrounded, we will have no way to escape.

Considering that the Silver Wolf King and the Vulture King have been tailing our army, looking for an opportunity to strike, I believe they must have received orders from the front lines to hinder our retreat. Based on this, I further deduce that the Barbarian Hu coalition must have dispatched an elite force, marching day and night to intercept our army.

After listening to the analysis, Mu Wu asked in return, "So, the strategist believes that these two are actually subordinates of the Silver Wolf King and the Vulture King, deliberately using the news that the Crown Prince is still alive to delay our army's actions?"

Zhang Xingjiao said, "It is possible, and quite likely, but not certain. Considering the current weakness of Haojing City's defenses, this is indeed the best time to rescue them. If those two are truly loyal to the late emperor, they would not miss this opportunity. It is reasonable for them to risk their lives to inform the commander-in-chief. Whether to rescue them or not is up to the commander-in-chief to decide."

Zhang Xingjiao was not famous because he only analyzed intelligence and never made decisions for Mu Wu. This approach meant he didn't have to take responsibility for failed choices, but he also didn't achieve any great merit, so naturally, others wouldn't remember him.

If it were a general who lacked his own opinions or suffered from decision-making anxiety, he would probably be so angry that he would yell, "What use are you?" But Mu Wu was clearly not one of them. He not only acted decisively, but also never shirked responsibility to his subordinates. He would take the initiative to take responsibility when he failed. Therefore, he complemented the strategist Zhang Xingjiao.

After closing his eyes and thinking for a while, he opened them and said, "I've decided to save them. Even if it's false information, I have to verify it. On the one hand, it will prevent others from being deceived, and on the other hand, it's to repay the late emperor's kindness."

Zhang Xingjiao nodded without objecting, although he personally preferred not to go and rescue him. He felt that since the Barbarian King had spared the crown prince, it was not because he hadn't lost his conscience, but because he had other uses for him. Before he achieved his goal, the crown prince should not be in any danger. So even if he missed this opportunity, there would be other chances to save him in the future, but the chances of success would definitely not be as great as this one.

However, he was not the kind of person who would offer frank advice. Once Mu Wu made a choice, he would provide the best solution based on that choice, rather than trying to persuade Mu Wu to change his decision.

"Since the decision has been made to rescue them, we must consider how to deal with this if it turns out to be a trap, and how not to slow down our army's retreat. I have a suggestion: General, please make sure that our friends from the Su State lend a hand. This will ensure that everything goes smoothly."

"So, you mean Marshal Mu will keep Vulture King and Silver Wolf King occupied while I rush in to snatch them?" Si Ming asked.

Liu Yongzhan, who relayed the message, nodded. "With your formidable physical body, it's difficult for martial artists below the Spirit Transformation to harm you. In Haojing City, there are only two Nascent Spirit Transformation, the Vulture King and the Silver Wolf King. As long as they are engaged, even if this is a trap, it won't be enough to threaten you."

He couldn't help but feel a little guilty as he spoke, after all, this was like sending the other party to wade through a minefield, to test whether there were any landmines buried ahead, and they might explode if they weren't careful. Moreover, due to his cultivation level, he couldn't see through Si Ming's external martial arts body. Although he felt it was strong, he didn't think it could really reach the level of being invincible below the Nascent Spirit Transformation.